The first of five welterweight bouts kicks off our coverage, as Sean Spencer tangles with Alex Garcia.

Spencer (11-2) has posted back-to-back wins over Drew Dober and Yuri Villefort, while Garcia (11-1) is on a five-fight win streak.

Round 1: These two are looking to land the big shot early, really coming out after each other with heavy hands. Garcia shoots and scores on a takedown, trapping the arm and working to the back. Back to the stand up with just over two minutes to go. Nice uppercut from Garcia connects, and he lands another takedown. Overhand right just misses by Garcia.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Garcia

Round 2: Garcia is really dictating the pace of the fight with his striking and ground game right now. Spencer gets taken down again and Garcia drags him away from the cage. He’s unable to do any damage. Out of nowhere, Spencer lands a big right hand that rocks Garcia. He tries land a big kick, misses and we have a battle. Garcia now teeing off, as he stuns Spencer and continues to attack. Another right connects and a spinning backfist to the body by Garcia. Spencer took some big-time strikes there and Garcia scores with a takedown. He goes for the back and gets reversed, as Spencer is now on top. Garcia rocks him again but Spencer remains standing. One more takedown from Garcia, making him a perfect 6-for-6.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Garcia

Round 3: Spencer appears to be the fresher of the two right now, but I’ve got him down on the scorecards. Nice big right gets through by Spencer and Garcia shoots for a seventh takedown, which he gets by putting Spencer on his back. While Garcia has been great with the takedowns, once he gets him there, he hasn’t really done much. Spencer with a nice strike that rocks Garcia a bit, but he comes right back.

Featherweights Dennis Bermudez and Jimy Hettes look to make a climb in the division with a win over the other tonight.

Bermudez (12-3) has won five straight, including three wins last year via decision. Hettes (11-1) is 3-1 since joining the UFC in 2011.

Round 1: This bout being on the prelims shows how deep the main card is. Hettes scores with a takedown and gains the upper-hand, but Bermudez quickly comes back with his own. Hettes right back to his feet and they clinch against the fence. Hettes with a left hook and a knee to the body, and Bermudez answers with a takedown. Nice display of striking by Hettes there. Bermudez with a takedown and we have a good scrap going on. Bermudez on top, avoiding the submission game, and getting in some nice strikes. He also fends off a late takedown and almost locks in a guillotine as the round ends.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Bermudez

Round 2: Bermudez was 4 of 8 on takedowns in the first round, and quickly goes back to the clinch, working for a fifth. Hettes reverses and lands a nice knee to the body. Bermudez goes for a single-leg and gets denied, they exchange knees, another takedown attempt by Bermudez and Hettes places him against the fence. Really nice transition work by both fighters. Bermudez rocks Hettes and pounces. Hettes, with his long legs, is curling up in a ball. Bermudez to side control as we go under two minutes. Hettes survives the attack and takes Bermudez down off a throw attempt. Hettes to his back with 30 seconds left.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Bermudez

Round 3: Bermudez comes right out after Hettes, throwing a big knee to the chest. Hettes separates and is landing, but Bermudez shows his power, dropping him once again. Bermudez moves to the canvas and gets locked up. He’s peppering him with lefts and rights, and avoids an up kick from Hettes. Nice right gets through the defense of Hettes and Bermudez is in side control. Bermudez keeps applying the pressure and he finally does it, finishing Hettes. It took a few extra strikes, but he’s recorded his sixth consecutive victory, becoming the fighter to stop Hettes. Nice left hook-knee combo did it.

Dennis Bermudez def. Jimy Hettes via TKO (strikes) at 2:57 of Round 3

Raquel Pennington vs. Jessica Andrade

We head to the female bantamweight division, as Raquel Pennington and Jessica Andrade meet up.

Pennington (4-3) scored a decision over Roxanne Modafferi after a stint on The Ultimate Fighter 18, while Andrade (10-3) is 3-1 in her last four – losing only to Liz Carmouche.

Round 1: Andrade with a strong throw and advances to side control. Pennington traps her in the butterfly guard with just over two minutes to go in the opening round. Pennington appears to be free and Andrade lands another judo throw with ease. Advancing her position to try and do some damage as we head under two minutes. Possible armbar attempt, but Andrade gets free. She rolls for a potential choke, does Andrade, and a scramble results in both fighters getting to their feet.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Andrade

Round 2: Andrade coming out like a firecracker, landing lefts, rights and kicks to the body. Solid knee inside the clinch by Pennington, and another. Big left hook off the separation by Andrade connects, as does a right. Power-takedown from Andrade and into the guard. All striking by Andrade, as she is really crisp with her attacks. Pennington fires off a combo of her own, but gets denied. Nasty kick to the lead leg is followed up by an all-out-assault from Andrade, who has Pennington pinned against the fence. She shoots for a takedown and gets denied by the taller Pennington. These two are just throwing blows, and Pennington clinches. A nice knee lands by Pennington and she locks in a standing guillotine. She has her hands locked but Andrade gets free and goes for her own standing choke.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Andrade

Round 3: Pennington has a nice pep in her step this round, but Andrade is landing some stiff leg kicks to silence that pep. Pennington ties her up and is trying to land a finishing blow. Andrade survives and breaks free. Pair of stiff left hooks land from Andrade. Again, Andrade catches her against the fence and goes to work. Very strong showing by Andrade here with her striking. Pennington gets the clinch locked up, but lets go before doing much damage. Pennington with a nice flurry as we head under a minute. Pennington scores with a takedown, as she drags Andrade to the canvas. She takes the back and slams her back down, going to work with some hammer-fists.

To conclude the prelims, former Ultimate Fighter winner Kelvin Gastelum will square off with Rick Story.

Gastelum (7-0), a surprise winner on season 17 of TUF, finished Brian Melancon in his most recent bout. Story (16-7) has gone 3-2 in his last five, including a November decision win over Brian Ebersole.

Gastelum had a rough time on Friday, coming in over the welterweight limit. He eventually made it, but looked extremely drained.

Round 1: Gastelum is looking much better than he did at weigh-ins. Story looking to find his range, but Gastelum lands a nice right-hand to start the action. Story has taken note, and is being a little more hesitant getting close. Stiff jab from Gastelum lands, forcing Story to go back to the body. Cut has opened up under the left eye of Story and he is bleeding pretty badly. Another left from Gastelum and he lands a head kick that sends Story flying to the ground. Gastelum mounts, but Story gets a butterfly guard in place to re-gain his composure. Two minutes left in this round and Gastelum is in a great position. To side control and he takes his back before shifting back to the mount, but Story slips out. Gastelum with an overhand left and a knee to the body, followed by another. Gastelum has been on-point so far, just picking Story apart.

FightLine scores the round 10-8 for Gastelum

Round 2: Story showing his power, sending Gastelum back a few feet with an early attack. Gastelum, though, snaps off a quick jab that pops Story’s head back. Pair of nice kicks to the lead leg from the TUF winner. Left from Gastelum rocks Story again, but he is unable to follow up. Just perfect striking by Gastelum, who has busted up Story’s lip. He’s also mixing his strikes up with kicks to keep the veteran off balance. Story, out of nowhere, drops Gastelum with a flurry. He pounces and Gastelum is possibly saved by the bell. What an incredible attack by Story and Gastelum looks very upset as he heads to his corner.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Story

Round 3: Story has come confidence now after that finish, coming out with his own kicks to the leg. Another kick to the body by Story and Gastelum looks like he is stuck in mud. Story shoots for a takedown, eats some shots, and gets denied. Gastelum had little trouble fending off that attempt. Gastelum fires off his left and lands, following up with a takedown as we go under three minutes. Gastelum to the back, Story attempting to roll under and he shakes him off, winding up on his back with hooks locked in. Gastelum working to keep Story from getting the choke, hand fighting with under two minutes to go. Gastelum fends off the choke and reverses, taking the fight back to the feet with 30 seconds left. Gastelum tags him with another left and they finish the round trading blows.

The only light heavyweight bout on the card opens the pay-per-view, as Ovince St. Preux battles Nikita Krylov.

St. Preux (14-5) has won three straight, including two in the UFC, since a 2011 loss to Gegard Mousasi in Strikeforce. Of his 14 wins, 10 have been finishes.

Krylov (16-3) earned an impressive TKO over Walt Harris in January, evening his Octagon mark to 1-1. He fought at heavyweight in August, falling to Soa Palelei.

Round 1: OSP right to the ground game, scoring a powerful takedown. Krylov is looking to get up the guard, but St. Preux is in side control despite having his head locked. While Krylov continued to work the head, OSP went for a submission of his own and got it, as Krylov went out. A perfect head-and-arm choke by St. Preux earned him the submission.

Our first of three welterweight collisions will feature former champions from Strikeforce and Bellator, as Jake Shields meets Hector Lombard.

Shields (29-6-1) is unbeaten in his last four, going 3-0 with one no-contest. He earned a pair of split decisions over Demian Maia and Tyron Woodley last year.

Lombard (33-4-1) is coming off a convincing knockout of Nate Marquardt last October, evening his UFC mark to 2-2.

Round 1: Interesting exchange here to start, as Lombard knocks Shields down and just stands over him. He wants to dominate, but do so on the feet. Shields brings the battle to the fence, but Lombard gets an arm free and lands a big hook. Shields is cut and wounded, retreating from Lombard. Lombard drops him again, lands a few shots and stands back up. Shields is hurt and curling up, as Lombard is teeing off. Lombard with some heavy strikes, but Shields is able to tie him up with 90 seconds left. No significant strikes from Lombard yet in this strong position.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Lombard

Round 2: Lombard again with a powerful shot that backs Shields up. Another left and an uppercut get through on Shields, and Lombard with a picture-perfect trip takedown – showing his judo skills – to go 3-for-3 on them. Shields is trying to put himself in a submission spot, as you can noticeably hear Lombard’s corner telling him to get to his feet. Nothing happening and the ref stands them up with two-plus minutes left. Lombard playing it safe this round. He doesn’t appear to be exhausted, just not overexerting himself to finish Shields. Fends off a takedown and lets him get to his feet after taking him down himself. Another takedown for Lombard, making him 5-for-5.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Lombard

Round 3: Lombard almost has a look of being asleep on his face. Nice shot to the body by Lombard, but Shields asks about it being low. No stoppage, and just moments later, Lombard lands a low blow with a kick. He’s warned by the referee for the illegal shots, but Shields wants to get right back at it. Takedown attempt and Lombard sprawls, scoring his own takedown with ease. Lombard on top, but as has been the case throughout, he’s unable to do anything and the ref stands them up. We have just over two minutes left in the round and Shields needs to do something impressive. An eighth denied takedown for Shields, who pulls guard to try and grab a submission. His face is a bloody mess now. With 10 seconds left, Shields locks up a guillotine and holds it tight, but the clock expires and Lombard survives.

Sanchez (24-6) has split his last four, dropping decisions to Gilbert Melendez and Jake Ellenberger. He is a former Ultimate Fighter winner, capturing the season one title at middleweight.

Jury (13-0) dropped a bout to Al Iaquinta on TUF, but has not lost a professional fight. He has downed Chris Saunders, Michael Johnson, Ramsey Nijem and Mike Ricci since 2012.

Round 1: No surprise, as Sanchez comes flying out after Jury. Spinning kick by Sanchez and Jury counters. Sanchez looks a little wobbly, but tells Jury to bring it. Sanchez wants to make this ugly, while Jury doesn’t. Sanchez catches him and ties things up against the fence, landing a nice right. Sanchez with a high-crotch, but Jury fends off the takedown with ease. Jury catches a kick, tries to trip Sanchez to the ground, but “The Dream” keeps his balance. Sanchez taunting him now, telling him to hit him. Jumping front kick by Sanchez and Jury lands a counter right after he comes in too strong. Jury with a takedown with 30 seconds left, but he uses the butterfly guard and goes for a possible heel hook. Instead, Jury takes his back as the round ends.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Jury

Round 2: Stiff kick to the body by Sanchez, who is throwing with heavy power now. Jury catches him with a right, opening a cut and stopping Sanchez in his tracks. Now, Sanchez is seething mad and he lands a right to the top of the head. Again, he comes flying in with lefts and rights as the blood pours down his face. Another right catches Jury, but Jury is doing a great job of avoiding punches in bunches. He also holds a 31-8 advantage in head strikes. Jury takes Sanchez down, but his neck is given to Sanchez, who is trying to secure a guillotine choke as we go under a minute. Jury gives the thumbs-up and works free from the submission. Jury explodes with a nice elbow to the cut of Sanchez, breaking him open even more. Jury another huge right and Sanchez is pissed off.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Jury

Round 3: Sanchez comes out in a slouched pose, looking to explode up on Jury. Flurry from Sanchez sends Jury up against the fence, but he covers and blocks most of the shots. Nice kick to the body by Jury and a counter right catches him coming in. Stiff right from Sanchez lands and he is pushing the tempo now, trying to catch his opponent off guard. Jury connecting each time Sanchez comes in with a counter, and scores a nice takedown as we approach a minute left.

Back to the welterweight division for our co-main event, as former interim UFC champion Carlos Condit collides with Tyron Woodley.

Condit (29-7) rebounded last August from back-to-back decision losses to stop Martin Kampmann, avenging a 2009 loss to “The Hitman.”

Woodley (12-2) has posted a 2-1 mark with the promotion since a 2012 loss to Nate Marquardt in a bout for the Strikeforce welterweight title. He started his career 10-0.

Round 1: As I mentioned in my predictions, which I struggled through during the prelims, this is an incredible step-up in competition for Woodley. However, he lands first, scoring with a right. Condit eats another and he knows this could be interesting. Woodley cuts the distance and scores with another shot. So much power out of Woodley, who eats a spinning back kick and lands a right. To the clinch and Condit fires off with a nice elbow. Two kicks and Condit lands a left that Woodley shakes his head at, but they were clean blows. Woodley with a takedown and into the guard. Condit secures a triangle, but Woodley picks him up and tosses him off. Incredible show of strength, followed by another takedown.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Woodley

Round 2: Condit lands a kick to start the round, looking to push the pace a little more. Woodley comes in and scores with a powerful takedown and Condit winces in pain as he goes to his back. He’s working hard off his back, but the ref stands them up. No noticeable damage from Condit, but Woodley lands a shot to the knee and Condit’s knee explodes. You’ve got to think the takedown damaged the knee originally, as upon replay you can see his leg bent weird. Condit grabbed it while on his back, and Woodley’s sweep ended it.

We’ve arrived at the main event, and it is time to crown a new UFC welterweight champion, as Johny Hendricks squares off with Robbie Lawler.

Hendricks (15-2) is a two-time NCAA champion and has gone 6-1 in his last seven. The lone loss, a split decision defeat at the hands of Georges St-Pierre last November.

Lawler (22-9) is 3-0 since returning to the UFC from Strikeforce last year, finishing Josh Koscheck and Bobby Voelker before taking a split decision over Rory MacDonald.

The belt was vacated when GSP stepped away from MMA in December.

Round 1: No touch of gloves, and Lawler seemed to embrace the booing from the Dallas crowd. Lawler connects and is all over Hendricks seconds in. Big lefts connected, as did a knee, from Lawler. Hendricks comes back, throws a nice kick and is squared up to go again. Interesting brief flurry there from Lawler, who didn’t go for the kill to keep from using too much energy. Hendricks gets in with with the clinch, ties him against the fence and is kneeing Lawler. Right hook just misses by Lawler, who fends off a takedown attempt. Hendricks with a knee to the face, smiles and they square off again. Solid kick to the lead leg by Hendricks. More kicks from Hendricks, and Lawler has yet to respond. Hendricks with a combo, Lawler smiles, and follows up with his own strike. Hendricks really mixing kicks and punches with takedown attempts.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Hendricks

Round 2: Lawler lands two big lefts to start the action here, but he has a nasty knot swelling on his lead leg. Hendricks is more flat-footed than Lawler, who is pouncing all over the place. Hendricks pushes forward, catching him with the right. Another combo from Hendricks, followed up by a kick. The right side of Lawler’s face is very discolored from the jab and hook. Another combo, followed by a knee and a kick to the leg. Hendricks’ striking is on point, as he is picking Lawler apart. Another knee catches Lawler, who answers with a left. Lawler gets a combo of his own in from close quarters as we go under two minutes. Lawler is trying to land the knockout blow, eating lefts and rights.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Hendricks

Round 3: Lawler is now kicking at will, firing off at the lead leg of Hendricks. Hendricks is using his kicks to get close for strikes, forcing Lawler to cover up. Lefts, rights and knees galore from “Bigg Rigg.” Just an incredible display of talent and toughenss from these two. Lawler lands and Hendricks is wobbly with over two minutes to go. Hendricks is eating solid shots, fires back, but he looks to be really hurt. Lawler, another huge combo, and he is struggling to move and cover up. Lawler cutting off the distance, trapping Hendrciks. Another uppercut and Hendricks shoots. Lawler defends, pushes off and Hendricks wipes his nose. He is bleeding from there, possibly suffering a broken nose. Hendricks appears to have his bearings, but Lawler is still attacking. Big-time shot from Hendricks and Lawler returns fire as we go under a minute. These two have combined to land over 70 significant strikes this round.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Lawler

Round 4: Lawler right back on the attack, coming right after Hendricks and swarming him. Lawler with a knee from the clinch. Big cut around the right eye of Hendricks and Lawler is attacking. Blood is pouring from the cut, covering the upper-half of Hendricks’ body. Swelling and it looks like he might have no vision out of the eye. With Lawler being a southpaw, that is dangerous. Two straight lefts from Lawler connect, and he answers with a knee. Hendricks is teeing off, lefts, rights and another knee again; Lawler just smiles at Hendricks. Combo from Lawler lands and that right eye of Hendricks looks horrible. Hendricks still using the kick to keep Lawler at bay from the power punch, and scores a takedown as the round comes to a close.

FightLine scores the round 10-9 for Lawler

Round 5: On-point cornering for both fighters, as they were instructed to go win the fight. Maybe a few more words than that, but we’ll keep it PG. Hendricks coming right out after Lawler, just missing on a huge left and shooting for a takedown. Lawler tries defending, balancing on one hand to stay upright. Hendricks goes to kneeing the leg, trying to chop Lawler down. Hendricks still working hard, and for the first time in this fight, the crowd is restless. The ref breaks them with three minutes to go. Lawler a jab, followed by another and Hendricks lands a kick that does damage. Lawler with a one-two combo and Hendricks answers with peppering jabs. Right hook from Lawler lands, as does another, and Hendricks answers. Lawler wobbles and Hendricks goes on the attack with his jab. The crowd gets loud and Hendricks is pushing forward. Bloody and bruised, Hendricks hits an uppercut and Lawler isn’t defending. Uppercut connects and Lawler is looking hurt. Pair of lefts to the chin of Lawler and Hendricks senses it. He drops for a double-leg and scores, dragging Lawler to the mat and possibly securing himself the UFC title.